


Sharing a Bed to Sleep

by Nocticola



Series: Ace/Aro characters [35]
Category: Ars Paradoxica (Podcast)
Genre: Aromantic, Asexual Character, Canon Asexual Character, Canon Bisexual Character, Episode 14 Anchor, Episode 29 The Odyssey, Gen, Platonically!, Sharing a Bed, The Recorder of Nikhil Sharma, Trope Subversion/Inversion, fandom aspec challenge, fandomacefest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-18
Updated: 2018-07-02
Packaged: 2019-05-23 09:32:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14931698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nocticola/pseuds/Nocticola
Summary: Prompt 2: Trope Inversion: There's Only One Bed/Bed SharingWhat if the day before Sally and Nikhil's road trip starts,  (but after Nikhil has hit on her) they have to share a room?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Mateo Morales:: Sally Grissom. The woman, the myth, the legend.
> 
> Nikhil Sharma: She’s beautiful.  
> \--  
> NS: Hey, what’s that?
> 
> SG: Oh. My recorder. Not as fancy as yours.
> 
> NS: It looks like it’s still on.
> 
> SG: Yeah. Oops, I must’ve accidentally hit the button or something. I guess–
> 
> NS: Maybe we could, um… Maybe we could give this recorder a break for a bit.
> 
> [[SFX: Nikhil approaches Sally]]
> 
> SG: Um. No, why would I do that?
> 
> NS: Oh. Sorry, I–
> 
> SG: Oh, uh… No. Thanks, but... No, I’m... I’m just gonna take a look at a map and get our route started!
> 
> NS: Of course. I’ll let you work on that. Catch you for breakfast?
> 
> SG: Yeah, sounds good. Get some sleep.
> 
> NS: I will. You should too, when you’re done with all that, er, mapping. And thanks for saving my life again, by the way. So. Sweet dreams, Sally Grissom.
> 
> SG: Goodnight, Dr. Sharma.
> 
> \---  
> NS: Road tripping halfway across the US with a stranger from the future is brave of you, I’ll admit.
> 
> SG: You’re gonna murder me on this trip, huh?
> 
> NS: Hardly. I would’ve taken my chance last night.
> 
> SG: A-ha! So that was your master plan. Seduce me and then murder me in cold blood!
> 
> NS: Hah, no. I’m, ah, sorry about that last night. I was...forward, and....
> 
> SG: No worries, Sharma. To be honest, I don’t get that a lot. It’s just a little surprising when I do.
> 
> NS: A lady like you doesn’t get much attention?
> 
> SG: That too, but more like I don’t seek it out much. Or ever.
> 
> NS: Oh Sally, I’m mortified. I completely misread that, I thought you might’ve been interested—
> 
> SG: Nah. I’m ace. It’s–and I literally could not stress this enough–it's nothing personal. I’m sure you must clean up back in 20█.

Sally Grissom is starting to get settled in her motel room, looking at maps, trying very hard to ignore what just happened between her and Nikhil. Turns out that is impossible because she hears a knock on her door and it is Nikhil.

"I am sorry for the intrusion, Sally, and I hope you understand that I do not want to do anything to upset you--"

"Let me guess? The motel is full?" 

"The motel is full." 

"Well, this is a very roadtrippy event," Sally sighs as she moves away from the door the let Nikhil in.

"Thank you. If it is any bother, I can sleep on the --"

"Oh, please. You just almost died, we'll split bed with a pillow and share. It's no big deal!" Sally realized she sounded a bit shrill at the prospect. She can't help it, she hasn't been in this situation in years. She likes it like that.

"Thank you. I promise, I will not do anything. These hands won't come near you the whole night."

"Oookay, now you made it slightly creepy." 

Nikhil laughs nervously, "I did, didn't I? I am very sorry." 

Sally just sighs, "Oh, well, come to bed. If we wake up around the same time, we can at least leave sooner anyway."

Sally sacrifices one of her pillows, takes her own blanket to her side and slams the extra pillow in the middle of the bed. She lays down on her side of the bed, staring at the ceiling.

Nikhil finds the extra blanket and pillow, takes off his pants and lays down on his side of the bed with the bedding. 

"Good night, Sally." 

"Night, Nikhil." 

For a few minutes neither one of them says anything but it's clear neither one of them is sleeping.

"So... this is awkward."

"It is. Are you sure this is okay with you?"

Sally sighs and turns to look at Nikhil over the pillow, "Look, we're adults. You made a pass at me, I respectfully declined, hopefully there are no hurt feelings. Sharing a bed is no big deal. OK?" 

"OK," Nikhil says and Sally nods, seemingly satistified. 

But still sleep eludes them. Another minute of silence and Nikhil turns to Sally, "I must say, I would love to hear about this life you've been building in the 1940s. What were you doing in Vegas?" 

Ah, a change of topic! That should work. "That was quite a trip. You sure you wanna lose sleeping time listening to little old me?" 

"Absolutely." 

"Alright, then. So, everyone was hard at work, trying to figure out how to prove the Timepiece actually works----". 

The next morning their start time is a bit later than they planned, but the night went by without an incident. That night was instrumental in building their friendship, and both of them always treasures it.


	2. Sleeping at the Safehouse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Post-29 The Odyssey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ER: Keep your voice down! And yes, I just let him and Petra know you’re coming. Wait! Don’t step on that!
> 
> SG: Oh! Ok...
> 
> SG: Kinda wish Roberts hadn’t woken him up. Wish I could’ve surprised him. Then again I guess he’s been here all this time — years — hiding from me. Is he even as excited as I am? Are we really gonna be the...”BFFs” he said we could be?
> 
> Nikhil...you’re here! You’re back! You’re in the safehouse right there. You’re just a few steps away now. But are you still the Nikhil I knew? Are we still gonna be...us? There’s so much I want to ask you, that I thought I never would get to ask you. Don’t you miss Mateo? Are you still gonna try to take me back to the future with you? You really fucked me up, man. And now I’m gonna see you in just a few seconds and...I don’t know if I can bear it. My chest feels like it’s going to cave in. This feels so weird. Why am I acting like this? [Sigh.]
> 
> Do you have any idea what you put me through? Do you have any idea how much it tortured me to think you were dead all this time? Hell, you were dead at that time. Couldn’t you have said anything? You really sided with Roberts and Marquez’s plan over sending me even the smallest sign that you were alright? I don’t know what I’m gonna do when I see you! I wanna hug you and I wanna scream and I wanna... and I wanna punch you, too.
> 
> ER: Please try not to scream when I open this door.
> 
> NS: Sally freaking Grissom.
> 
> SG: ...You fucking asshole!
> 
> [[SFX: Sally drops her recorder in the dirt and runs up the stairs]]
> 
> ER: I said keep it down!
> 
> NS: I think you dropped your recorder–
> 
> [[SFX: Sally punches Nikhil in the face]]
> 
> NS: Ow! Sally, that hurts!
> 
> SG: You’re fucking alive, I’m gonna hit you all I want!
> 
> [[SFX: Sally hits Nikhil a couple more times]]  
> PM: [inside the cabin] Alright kiddos can we please do this inside?
> 
> SG: Petra, you’ve got some explaining to do.
> 
> NS: In time, in time.
> 
> SG: In time. We’ve got that now.
> 
> NS: Now get in here, we’ve got fried chicken. Petra’s been teaching me to cook.
> 
> SG: What’s with everyone trying to calm me down with food? Oh my god that smells amazing.

After Esther has helped Sally and Nikhil get caught up with each other, it is already really late. Which is when they run into a small dilemma, which Esther verbalizes.

“OK, so turns out I didn't really think this through. There's only one bed and a couch. The bed is big enough for two but how do we deal with this? We have to stay the night.” 

“Hah! What a classic dilemma!” Sally exclaims. 

“Sally! Enough with the roadtrip tropes.” 

“Nikhil, this is from a completely different set of tropes! Besides, it shouldn't be a big deal. We've shared a bed before.” 

“You have?!?!” Esther asks, both confused and slightly scandalized. Did she misunderstand Sally's asexuality somehow? 

“Yeah, it was one of our BFF bonding experiences. He hit on me, I turned him down, but then there was just one room left at the motel. Absolutely classic. But nothing happened, so nothing won't happen tonight either, right?” 

Nikhil looks mortified and just mumbles, “Right.” 

Esther takes a moment to wrap her head against the information before shaking her head to clear it. 

“Um, OK. I guess that could work. But that couch looks really lumpy, and I'll have drive us tomorrow. And I drove us here. I should get to sleep in the bed.” 

“Alright, you make a valid point. So, we just need to figure out the best configuration. I mean, no matter what, nothing will happen in that bed, since no one here is into Nikhil like that. No offence, BFF.” 

“None taken, BFF. You are my guests so you should take the bed. I will be fine on the couch.” 

“OK, that settles it. Assuming you're fine sleeping with me, Sally?” 

“Absolutely.” 

Everyone settles in to sleep, but Sally can't quite sleep. 

“Esther, are you into me like that? Just curious.” Sally whispers as she stares at the ceiling. 

Esther turns to stare at her annoyed, “You're asking me this *now *?” 

“Well, of course. Wouldn't want it to cause issues in the night.” 

“Arg. OK, Sally, for the record, no I am not into you. You are not my type.” 

“Good to know. I'm just totally out of the loop on this stuff sometimes. So, it's best to be blunt. Anyway. Night Esther. Night Nikhil.” 

“Night Sally,” Nikhil says with good-natured humor in his tone, “Night, Esther.” 

“Night Nikhil. Night Sally,” Esther says with a tone of exasperated fondness. 

"Are you adults finally done? I'm trying to actually sleep here!"

"Sorry, Petra! We're done. Night, Petra." Sally says sheepishly. Nikhil and Esther do the same. 

Then everyone falls asleep. They have a long drive tomorrow. They need their rest.


End file.
